Jan 24, 2026 by AJ Titter

Here is a list of Edwardian superstitions you might find interesting. Only one of these appears in my Edwardian fantasy, Benandante.

Silver Buttons to Ward Off Werewolves

Father Baring-Gould in his "The Book of Were-Wolves" has a story from Devonshire where two great black dogs would come to an inn nightly to drink the cider. The publican threw a silver button over the dogs' heads after which they transformed into ill-favoured old ladies.
Using silver against werewolves is common in folklore or superstitions, so of course I had to include it in my tale.

Thirteen at Dinner

You should never have thirteen people for dinner. If you do, the first to rise after the meal with die in the coming year.
The number thirteen has many ill omens or superstitions surrounding it, but this might be one of the stranger ones I've heard.

New Clothes on January 1st

Wearing a new suit of clothing on January 1st would bring a fresh beginning to the new year.
While the act might be strange to us now, the symbolism is not. There are plenty of things we do now in the new year to give us a fresh beginning and a new us.

Holding a Book for the New Year

Any family not holding a book when the clock struck midnight on December 31st would have bad luck in the coming new year according to the Edwardians. Many would also practice bibliomancy. They would take the new book they received on December 31st and open it to a random page. The passage that was read would predict what would happen for that family in the new year. If they did not receive a new book, many would use the Bible. Although as secularism grew, Edwardians would turn to classics like Charles Kingsley’s novel "Westward Ho!", "Robinson Crusoe" by Daniel Defoe, and "Pilgrim’s Progress" by John Bunyan to “predict” the future.
I feel like I've seen a trend on Instagram using bibliomancy...

Bird Feathers Prolonging Death

Wild bird feathers, especially pigeon feathers, would be removed from the mattress and pillows in order to permit the dying person to pass away easily. If it was too difficult to remove the individual feathers, then the whole pillow would be removed.
Interestingly enough, a doctor in the 1920's still came across this superstition in Norfolk and he considered the family to be assisting in the death of the person and took a strong stance that they were committing murder.

I would consider either the bird feathers or the thirteen at dinner to be the strangest superstition an Edwardian person might believe.

 

 

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